Safety device



March 15 1927. 1,621,146

W. WELP SAFETY DEVICE Filed Jan, 23, 1926 5 v 1 5 .Zfive%r:

. mlgia'wjze-z Patented Mar. 15, 1927 unites stares at orrics.

WILLIAM WELP, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed January 23, 1926. .Serial No. 83,306.

suit work of different thicknesses and for cutters of different diameters; to provide for readily mounting the device on the worktable of the machine and removing it therefrom at will; and to attain certain advantages as will more fully appear in the following description. a

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and afterwards pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the. forward end. portion of the worktable of a wood-shaper, showing the guard applied to the cutters;

' Figure 2 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in cross section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;' and Figure 3 is an elevation looking at the side of the machine. Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the work-table of the machine. Working through circular openings 2 2 in said table are the vertical shafts 3 on the upper end portions of which are the usual cutters 4.

Embedded in the top face of the worktable 1 and flush therewith are the usual ring-plates or bushings 5 which protect the upper edge portions of the openings 2.

The foregoing described parts are shown in the drawings only'more or less conventionally as they are well known in the art and only enter into the present invention in a general way.

Mounted on the work-table 1 are two vertical posts 6 whose upper portionsare preferably square in cross section, as shown. At the basesof thesesquare portions of the posts are fixed collars or flanges 7 which are embedded in the work-table andflush with the top face thereof, while below said collarsor flanges 7 the posts are provided. with rounded shank portions 8 which are extended beneath the table and screw-threaded so as to receive jam nuts 9, 10 with an interposed washer 11, whereby the posts may be secured tightly in place .ye t rea'dily removed at will by releasing the i am nuts.

Slidably mounted on the posts 6 isa vertically adjustable body-plate 12, preferably made of hard wood, although the same may be made of metal or other suitable material if desired' Secured to the top face-of this body-plate, as by bolts or the like 13, is a rectangular metallic box 14. This box, as shown, comprises two half sections 149,14", having c'o-operating end flanges 15 which are bolted together, as at, 16, saidsections 14 14*, also having base flanges 17 which are apertured for the reception of the securing bolts 13 which fasten the box to saidbodyplate 12. j i I The box 1 1 is cored from top to bottom, thereby affording an elongated rectangular socket 18 whose side and end walls bear slidably on said posts 6, and in one of the side walls are screw-threaded aperturesin which:

work set-screws or the like 19, which latter impinge on said posts 6 and thereby securely lock the body-plate 12 in its vertically adjusted positions, as will be later described. Adjustably mounted on the opposite end portions of said body-plate 12 are the guard elements proper 20. These elements are provided withlongitudinal open-ended slots 21 so as to bifurcate the inner end portions thereof which rest flatwise on the top face of the body-plate 12 and straddleupstanding bolts 22 on which are wing-nuts 23 and interposed washers 24, whereby said 'ele ments may be clamped securely to said bodyplate. a

The outer end portions of said guard elements 20 are rounded, as at 25, and they are cut-out or recessed from their rear sides to afford an inclined portion 26 and ,a hooked cuttere to be used on the machine. and be- 'mension than the diameter of the largest ing also preferably a little larger than the diameter of the opening 2 in which the cutter works.

The elements are preferably made from a laminated, slab of light, tough and elastic i wood, such as ash or the like, which possesses sufiicient resiliency to give a spring effeet to the member so that it willhold the work to the table as it is slid thereunder as will be presently more fully set forth. On the under side of the tongue or hooked extension 27 is a shoe28 which is bevelled oil, as at 29, at its forward end where the work is first brought against it. This shoe is also preferably made of hard wood, but

it may obviously be made of metal or other suitable material. .So, too, the entire element 20. may be made of metal or other material having the requisite toughness andresiliency. e

' In the use of the guard,- the body-plate 12 is adjusted vertically on the posts 6. This is readily accomplished by loosening the set-screws 19 and shifting said body plate to bring the under face of the shoe 28 of the guard element to the proper height for the given thickness of work, and then tightening the set-screws. In positioning the shoe relative to the top face of the work-table itis effectively set, just a little below the plane of the top face of the work, so that when the work is slid thereunder the guard element is sprung upward, yet

to no great extent, but just enough to exert some pressure upon the work while permitting the latter to be moved and conveniently manipulated with relation to the cutter by the operator.

'If it is desired to remove the guard from about the cutter, it is only necessary to loosen the wing-nut 23 on the bolt 22 and swingthe element 20 toward the forward end of the table to clear the cutter, and the inward from the forward end of the worktable into engagement with the outer side of the cutter. In Figures 1 and 3 the work is indicated by the numeral 30 and its movement is indicated by the arrow shown thereon. The relative position of the work under the guard element 20 is also shown by dotted lines at the left hand side of Figure 2. p

In some cases, when the work is of such character; or proportions that it has to be carried across the inner side of the cutter and when the space occupied by the bodyplate 12 and its supporting posts 6 must be clear for the manipulation of the work on the table, the entire guard structure is easily removed by releasing the am nuts 9, 10.,

so that the posts are free to be lifted from their seats. In such contingency this is a material advantage in the present invention. 7

According to the present invention a very simple and inexpensive structure is produced, which is practical and effective in guarding against accidental injury to the operators hands in the regular manipulation of the work under the usual conditions in the operation of woodshapers andsimilar machines.

Obviously, the structure admits of considerable modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, it is not limited to the specific construction and arrangement shown in the drawings.

What is claimed is:

1. In a guard of the character described,iin combination with the work-table and a cutter rotatable thereon about a vertical axis, a pair of vertical posts on the work-table, a body-plate movable vertically on said posts, a boxing secured to the top face of said body-plate and having a rectangular openin from top to bottom, the side and end walls of said opening slidably engaging said posts, set-screws in. a side wall ofsai-d boxing and respectively impinging said posts, a vertical screw-threaded stud on said body-plate having a clamping nut thereon, and a fiat plate-like guard e1ement having a bifurcated inner end. portion resting on said. body-plate and straddling said screw-threaded stud thereon whereby to be longitudinally and swingably adjustable and being secured in adjusted position by said clamping nut on said stud, the outer end portion of said guard element being hooked to encompass the cutter and paralleling the top face of said work-table. e

2. In a guard of the character described, in combination with the work-table and a cutter rotatable thereon about a vertical axis, a pair of vertical posts detachably mounted on said work-table, said posts having portions of square cross section extending above said worlntable, flanges at the bases of said upstanding portions embedded in said work-table flush with the top face thereof, and rounded shank portions extending from said flanged portions through said work-table and beyond the under face thereof and being screw-threaded, secur- 5 ing nuts on said screw-threaded portions of said shanks, a vertically adjustable bodyplate on said upstanding portions of said posts, said body-plate having a boxing secured to its upper face, said boxing having a rectangular opening from top to bottom thereof, the side and end Walls of said opening slidably engaging said upstanding portions of said posts, set-screws in a side Wall of said boxing respectively impinging said posts, and a flat plate-like guard element longitudinally and swingably adjustable on the upper face of said body-plate, said guard element possessing inherent resiliency and having a hooked outer end. portion encompassing the cutter and paralleling the top face of the Work-table.

WILLIAM WELP. 

